CANADIANS COOL TO E-COMMERCE

While Web usage among Canadians continues to climb, our adoption of e-commerce remains stagnant. CyberTrends, ComQuest Research’s quarterly survey of Canadian behaviour and attitudes toward the Internet, reports half of all Canadian adults use the Web at least once a month – and the proportion of those who use the Web weekly has risen to 40%, up from 34% just a year ago. Only 14% of Internet users, however, feel "very comfortable" buying online, a number that has not changed since the last quarter. A full 61% of Canadian consumers say they’re not comfortable at all.

WE’RE SO VAIN

According to a recent survey by hair-growth formula maker Rogaine, men are increasingly concerned about their appearance and the impact it has on their romantic and social lives. Over four and a half million Canadian men suffer from hair loss, and describe their predicament as "depressing" or "stressful," according to the Rogaine Reality Report. The study says men are no longer willing to "suffer in silence" – 46% of those surveyed say they deal with the emotional impact of hair loss by talking to their partners. The Canadian celebrities whose hair is most admired by balding Canadian males are Quebec singer Roch Voisine and comic actor Jim Carrey.

HAPPY P-O-P DAY

When shoppers are in holiday planning mode, they’re more open to suggestion. That, loosely put, is one of the conclusions of a recent study by Point-of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), a New Jersey-based trade association representing in-store advertisers. The pilot study, which measured the effectiveness of POP advertising, found that in-store displays – including signage, floor graphics, coupons and so on – boosted sales in 13 of the 20 weeks measured. But the study found the lift to sales was substantially higher when the creative was tied to a specific holiday or event, particularly those all-American summer festivities – Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. The research study, which tracked 30 food and beverage categories, found that POP advertising made the most difference to new brands and those that were infrequently promoted.

THE GREYING WEB

You can teach an old dog new tricks, but first you’ve got to earn its trust. That’s the gist of a recent study by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) that set out to examine the confidence levels of "elderly" computer and Web users. The study, which surveyed 1,000 computer users aged 45 and up, concludes the group represents an important and growing online demographic, but says confidentiality of personal information is of "utmost concern" to aging Net surfers. Among the key findings: Respondents reported having used computers an average of 8.5 years and to have been online an average of 3.3 years; about 80% of those surveyed have Internet access and, of those, respondents spent an average of five hours a week using e-mail and nine hours a week surfing the Net. That said, the study also shows online confidence drops sharply with increasing age and suggests that marketers be sensitive to the range of skill levels that exist among computer users 45-plus.

With the pandemic continuing to keep in-person events off the table, innovation isn’t just a bonus – it’s an imperative. Companies need creative tech to engage with consumers, whether that’s live-streaming, gaming or data-driven personalization. This is the year that remote comes first, making it an opportune time to experiment with format, devices and tools.

Joshua Richards

Director, Creative Technology, john st.